


Babysitting

by Nehszriah



Series: The Teacher, the Media Man, and the President of the United States [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Prompt Fic, a baby is involved, accidental relationship upgrading, because he's her Uncle Malc and she wants him to have happy things to look at during work, personal headcanon is that she made the drawings as seen in his office, this OC child would have Malc wrapped around her finger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 16:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5299178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nehszriah/pseuds/Nehszriah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara helps Malcolm babysit Sam's daughter, only for both adults to come to a realization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babysitting

“What’s that?” Clara cooed as she laid on the floor, arm propping up her head. The infant giggled and wiggled as she stared up at the sparkly arch of toys above her, trying to bat at them with her fist. “Yeah, that’s shiny, isn’t it? You are such a clever girl!”

“Of course Cassidy is clever; she’s her mam’s daughter, after all,” Malcolm scowled from on the armchair, tapping away at a laptop keyboard. They were doing Sam a favor, watching over her little girl while she went on an overnight trip to see her aunt who was fairly ill. Well, _he_ was the one who was supposed to be the one watching over Cassidy, but Clara had popped over without warning and now it was the two of them with the baby.

“You’re just jealous because she likes me more,” she snarked back. “Uncle Malcolm is sort of a bore isn’t he Cassidy?”

“If I’m such a fucking bore, then why do you keep on coming over here?” he wondered. “It’s been months since you stopped researching.”

“You’re too used to me,” she claimed. “Can’t just cut you off and expect you to survive, now can I?”

“No, I guess not,” he said. He tried concentrating on the speech he was writing, but he couldn’t help but steal a couple glances at Clara and Cassidy. “You’re good with kids.”

“It’s what I’m meant for,” she replied. She poked the baby in the stomach, making her giggle. “One day I’ll be a mum, even if I have to adopt a child on my own. I love kids, and love helping them. It’s why I’m a teacher, you know.”

“You teach literature to secondary school brats and Cassidy is a wee nip.”

“…and one day, Cassidy will be a little Year Seven needing help on her essays,” she explained sternly. “Even if it’s not your kid, you can’t just ‘hand them back’ and think that they’re gone from your life. They’re always there, which some people fail to forget.”

“Hey, I’m not saying I hate kids—would Sam have dropped _her_ kid off if I did?”

“I guess not.” Clara’s tone dropped and she began to stare at a spot on the rug. Her thoughts began to trail off until Cassidy began to croak, displeased. “Oh, hey there sweetie, it’s alright. Aunt Clara’s here.” She plucked the baby from her blanket and sat up, resting her on her chest and patting her back. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Cassidy whimpered and began to calm down, beating her tiny fists on Clara’s chest while also drooling on her shoulder. Clara carefully stood and began pacing around the sitting room, further catching Malcolm’s attention. He pretended to click things as he watched her beneath his brows. She really was a natural with how the baby calmed in her care. He nearly smiled, but suddenly he found Cassidy being placed in his arms.

“Whoa, wait a second, what’s this?” he sputtered.

“I need to get her bottle; it’s almost feeding time, yeah?” Clara replied from the kitchen. Malcolm simply frowned at Cassidy, who was looking up at him with her unnaturally large, green eyes.

“That one’s a loony—watch out for her,” he warned. Cassidy made gurgling noises in reply, which was more than her mother’s boss expected, if he was honest. Clara then came back in the room with a warm bottle in her hand.

“Did you want to feed her?” she asked.

“Me? Why no, I…” he began. Clara, however, took the computer from his lap and set it on the coffee table, kneeling down in front of the chair.

“Do you know how to hold her?”

“Yeah, Sam showed me, like this.” He shifted Cassidy from his chest to along his right arm and accepted the bottle. Hungry, the girl began to suck the milk down as soon as the rubber tip was in her mouth.

“See? Nothing to it.”

Clara leaned on the armrest and watched Cassidy as she ate, making sure she was alright. There was a sparkle in her eyes, Malcolm noticed, something that he hadn’t been able to see before because she’d been too far away. Was this how it was when a woman truly loved a child? Most of his girlfriends past were too career-oriented to want children, and the ones that were left usually had a disdain for them. The look Clara had… this was new to him and, dare he say it, he enjoyed it.

“Now hand me the bottle,” she said. He obeyed and soon it was replaced by a white cloth taken from Cassidy’s bag. “Okay, now wipe her face and burp her.”  
He began to, cleaning up the excess milk from the baby’s cheeks, but as soon as he put the cloth down on his knee, Clara picked it back up and draped it over his shoulder.

“Pardon me?”

“You don’t want spit-up all over that new shirt of yours, do you?” Although he thought it silly, he propped Cassidy up and began gently patting her back. She burped, tiny and wet, and when he laid her back down in his arms, Clara took the cloth from his shoulder and showed him the damage.

“Oh, that really is gross,” he agreed.

“That is why people still buy cloth nappies, even if their child never wears one,” she said. She draped it back over his shoulder and turned towards the coffee table, reaching for the bottle. When she turned back to face Malcolm, she saw that his eyes had gone all soft and he was staring at _her_. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing just… I like this.” He took the bottle and continued feeding Cassidy. “Not a lot of opportunity for an aging bachelor to feed a baby.”

“Oh…” she realized. She gingerly ran her fingers over their charge’s soft wisps of hair and exhaled. “Did you ever want it before?”

“I never really knew until just now,” he said. Careful not to crush Cassidy, Malcolm leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Clara’s lips. “Maybe, one day, if that’s what’s supposed to happen.”

“You didn’t tell me,” she said quietly.

“Like I said: I didn’t know until just now.” His face flushed red and he looked down at Cassidy, watching her eat. “You don’t want an old cunt like me though; I’m starting to shrivel. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It doesn’t suit you,” she insisted. Clara slipped her fingers around the hand he was holding the baby with, not taking him away yet still keeping the contact. “We can go on a couple dates first, see if it works, before we jump right into a Cassidy.”

“That sounds wise; always knew you were a clever one,” he beamed. “Would you like to stay the night? Maybe work things out? Can’t do much else with the little one here.”

“I think that can be arranged.” She gathered her keys and purse and promised to be back within the hour. He told her to take her time, that he wasn’t going anywhere. For once, the door closed and yet his heart fluttered. It was an odd, powerful sensation and he loved every moment of it.


End file.
